BARRISTER TO INVESTIGATE UNDERCOVER DRUGS CLAIMS

PM Says Wider Inquiry Not Needed

Wellington: A senior barrister will investigate claims by former undercover
police that officers illegally used and supplied drugs, and regularly
falsified evidence, Police Commissioner Rob Robinson said yesterday.

Two former officers complained to the United Nations late last year about
their time in the New Zealand undercover drugs programme in the 1980s,
alleging illegal drug use and supply, institutionalised perjury, unfair
dismissal and denial of health, welfare and employment opportunities for
former drug agents.

Former officers reiterated those claims on television on Wednesday.

Mr Robinson said the allegations were serious and warranted investigation.
A senior barrister would assess them and examine whether further
investigation was needed.

"It is my intention that the senior barrister would then ensure that the
allegations are fully addressed," he said in a statement.

"The independence of this advice and oversight is necessary to assure the
public of the integrity of the investigation process."

But former police officers' advocate Bob Moodie said he believed the
inquiry would be "police friendly" and a whitewash.

A full commission of inquiry was needed, Dr Moodie said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday the allegations were historic and
not enough to prompt a larger inquiry into the police undercover programme,
which had changed since the 1980s.

While there was huge public concern about recent complaints of sexual
impropriety among police and a perceived failure to investigate rape
allegations against officers, the former undercover officers' claims were
at a different level, she said.

The Government had settled compensation claims with five former undercover
officers. There had been no settlements with another 19 claimants as they
were eligible to claim Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) payments,
she said. Those officers were taking legal action.

Any members of the public who felt they had been convicted on falsified
evidence should complain to the Police Complaints Authority, Ms Clark said.

The Police Association said the officers had "long-standing and genuine
grievances" about their treatment by the police during and after their
deployment as undercover officers.

But the Court of Appeal had ruled in 2002 that most, including those who
had gone public, had no claim for compensatory damages as they were
eligible for ACC compensation.

The association had supported the officers over the past 10 years and had
spent more than $1 million helping them seek legal redress, it said. The
group was estimated to have received more than $5 million in
earnings-related compensation and several were still receiving weekly payments.

The group had received rehabilitation, counselling and job retraining, the
association said.

Dr Moodie said the former officers were speaking out to promote police
accountability.

"These are all decent people, and their concern is they were led into a
situation as youngsters by very senior people in the police, as well as
very mature people, and as a result of it, they ended up not just wrecking
their careers, but ended up part of a justice system that was corrupt."

The officers say they were trained to perjure themselves by claiming they
only pretended to smoke cannabis while undercover, when they were often
affected by drugs for long periods.

The perjury was designed to avoid their evidence being compromised by
defence claims that they could not accurately recall details of alleged
drug dealing.

They also say evidence was tampered with, and undercover officers regularly
took drugs from evidence samples.

Claims of drug use among undercover officers have been public since the
officers, part of a group of about 25, sought compensation in the early
1990s for the harm they said they had suffered as a result of their work.

The claims were extensively reported more than 10 years ago. In 1992, it
was reported that growing numbers of former undercover agents were saying
their lives had been ruined by drug operations.